Education empowerment for girls

Education for women in India is still considered a milestone. While independent India was one of the first few countries where women got equal rights to participate in education, society, economy and politics by law, however the ground reality stayed the opposite. Many women are restricted to achieve their ambitions due to lack of access to opportunities and the patriarchal nature of the society.  

Education is a crucial mean of empowerment that can bring a positive change in the society. While many women are steadily closing the higher education gap, unfortunately access to quality education, primarily in tier 2 and 3 cities, continues to remain a key concern which eventually restricts their participation in the workforce. I feel opportunities should be available to those who have the talent, irrespective of the gender.

• Benefits: A women should be independent, and when I say independent it means a lot of things – She should be able to make her own life decisions, have the freedom to do the things she wants to do and express herself without fear. It is necessary to have an academic qualification. Once you start earning and become financially independent, you start to have sense of self-worth, develop a sense of critical thinking, foster good decision making qualities, attain a psychological sense of personal control and aid financial stability in the family.

Though crucial, education for me is beyond the academics, it is important to begin the journey at home.

Education at home: Creating a conducive environment for the girl child, oratory skills, knowledge of socio-cultural aspects of the society, good nutrition, nurturing the ability to make choices, building a sense of self-worth.

For me, education has a holistic meaning. It’s beyond books and school and grades. It begins at home, learning the value system, understanding concepts and cultures, learning to reason things and learning to have an individuality, standing up for your beliefs. The foundation of all this is laid at home, basis what you see around you. This period is critical to who we become as a person.

I came from a family where my grandmother believed in education and equal opportunities for men and women. She was a lady who was a voracious reader and even drove a Jeep which was big deal back then. Her teachings were carried forward by my father and mother who in spite of being from small town, gave us the best of education. We grew up with the thought process that even if the finances are limited, other comforts could be sacrificed but education & healthcare had to be the best.

From the childhood, my sisters and I had access to music, poetry and were taught yoga by my grandmother. In the era, where every parent wanted their child to be a doctor or an engineer, my father gave us the freedom to choose our career and to pursue the subjects that interested us.

The joy of doing what you enjoy and being passionate about the work you enjoy doing brings in the success and that is what I have personally experienced. Co-founding a company which is working in the direction of a very a unique concept, wasn’t easy – to make people aware about the concept which wasn’t in the best interest of the popular belief system.  As an architect, I made homes which were beautifully designed but they weren’t healthy for the occupants. There are many factors that go in making a building healthier like air quality, sunlight, etc. To create a niche, we decided to concentrate on the lesser-known factors like Geopathic stress which are largely still unknown but extremely critical for health.

5 key things that helped me as a woman entrepreneur

• Choose your profession based on your passion and don’t be afraid to pursue an idea you truly believe in.
• Take care of your own health, never ignore this aspect.
• Learn to manage your money. Save from the very first salary, no matter how small & invest to create financial freedom & security.
• Cultivate a habit of reading
• You are never too old to update your skills and knowledge, it’s extremely important for growth.

Ms. Manisha Matanhelia is an Architect and Director, co-founder of Syenergy Environics. She co-founded this company 14 years back with a mission and clear vision to provide better and healthier life to citizens. She has studied and conducted an in-depth research on the traditional architecture of India and Electro-Magnetic radiation in the built-in environment along with their effects on the health of the people working and living in them.